What is Marketing?
The American Marketing Association’s definitions of marketing and marketing research are reviewed and reapproved/modified every three years by a panel of five scholars who are active researchers.
Marketing Definition
Marketing is an activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and the community at large.
Now, this is no different online as there is a huge shift to online business which was boosted by the ongoing pandemic and lockdowns in the world. Now using the right marketing strategy is key to any business and online marketing is important as well.
There are numerous potential customers searching for businesses online, and Facebook is one of the best platforms for your business to be discovered by these potential customers.
As we all know there is increased use of social media since the start of the pandemic and there is no reason you should not tap into this opportunity.
We most likely do not need to tell you that being a master of Facebook marketing is a must for any brand that hopes to succeed.
A massive 2.4 billion people use Facebook every month, which is a huge audience but we are guessing you already know that.
But maybe you didn’t know how often people are using Facebook to interact with businesses of all sizes. For example, two-thirds of Facebook users say they visit a local business Facebook Page at least once a week.
Potential customers are already looking for businesses like yours on Facebook. A clear, focused Facebook marketing strategy is the only way to tap into this existing audience. As Facebook puts it, your Business Page is “a cornerstone of [your] online identity.”
It is free to set up a Facebook Page. Once you’ve created your Page, you can also use it to post content, link to your website, and communicate with fans and followers for free.
That makes a Facebook Page an invaluable tool for any marketer working with a limited budget or a small business.
You also need to create a Facebook Business Page before you can start using paid marketing strategies on Facebook, such as Facebook ads. So, the first step of mastering how to use Facebook for business is preparing your Facebook Page.
Let's look at how to do this:
1. Create your Facebook Business Page
Head to facebook.com/pages/create. You need to be logged into a Facebook personal account to get started, but your personal information will not appear on your new business page.
Choose your page type: Business/brand or Community/public figure
Enter your business details.
2. Add brand images
Upload your profile and cover photos. Make sure to use the optimum image sizes for Facebook so they look their best.
3. Complete your Page info
Click Edit Page Info and fill in the following sections:
Description: 255 characters to describe who you are and what you do.
Contact information: Fill in all the ways you want people to be able to reach you (including your website).
Extra options: If it’s relevant to your business, add your operating hours, price range, and privacy policy.
4. Create your Facebook username
Your username helps people find you on Facebook. Click Create Page @Username to make one. It can be up to 50 characters long.
Facebook marketing ideas for your username:
Choose a search-friendly Page name. In most cases, this will be your brand name.
If possible, use a consistent username across social networks.
5. Add a call-to-action button
A call-to-action button gives people a quick and easy way to reach out to you, shop for your products, or otherwise engage with your business. Click Add a Button under your cover photo to set one up.
6. Review your Facebook Page settings
Your Facebook Page settings give you custom control over who sees what on your page. Take a look to make sure you understand the privacy and security settings in particular.
That’s it! Your Facebook Page is set up and ready to go.
If you’d like a little more help getting through the set-up process, we’ve got your back. Check out Hootsuite's post on how to create a Facebook Page for business.
Types of Facebook posts
Now that you’ve created your Facebook Page, you need to think about what kind of content to post. Creating posts will help in you building your audience or customers as the case may be for your business.
Here’s a breakdown of the different post types you can use to engage your followers. For clarity, we’ve included some examples from successful brands.
Facebook text post
This is the most basic type of Facebook post. It is literally nothing but text: No photos, no videos—not even a link and is also referred to as status posts.
A text-only post can’t direct people to your website or drive conversions, but it can be used to spark engagement on your Page. Asking a question can be a great way to get people involved as we did in this post:
Facebook photo post
Like a text post, a photo post is designed to build awareness or spark engagement. In general, photo posts see much higher engagement than text posts.
Photo posts are a great way to show off your products, especially if they have high visual appeal, or they’re something people need to see in use to fully appreciate.
Of course, not all businesses use Facebook to market physical products.
If you sell something less tangible, stock photos can be a great help. There are great sites for you to get pictures for free such as Pexels.com, unsplash.com, and others.
You might be tempted to share images you find elsewhere online, but this can sometimes get you into trouble. Stick to the use of copyright-free images to be safe, or make sure you fully understand the basics of image copyright.
Keep in mind that the “photo” in your post could also be any kind of image, like an infographic, illustration, or any other visual.
Facebook video post
A short video post can be compelling if your product has a strong visual appeal.
Since videos start to play automatically in the News Feed, even a clip that’s only a few seconds long can be a great way to catch someone’s attention.
Facebook also suggests using short videos for announcements and polls.
Longer video posts are a better bet for ongoing series or sharing memorable content. If you’re using video to tell a story, Facebook recommends using at least one minute, and ideally three minutes or more.
It’s clear that video posts can be an important way to connect with followers. They see even higher engagement rates than photo posts do.
For more video Facebook marketing tips, check out Hootsuite's six key elements of a perfect social video.
Facebook Live video post
Facebook Live video is video broadcast live on Facebook. It can be a great way to give followers a behind-the-scenes look at your company, your product, or the personalities behind your brand.
People are into it: Since the launch of live in 2016, more than two billion people have watched a Facebook Live video.
Live is a fantastic format to share announcements in real-time or to interact with your followers directly. Keep in mind that anything can happen when you go live, so be sure to prepare ahead of time.
Linked content post
A linked content post is a post that links to content outside of Facebook or can also be referred to as a link post. These are getter more engagement than status posts, but less than photo or video posts. Link posts are probably the easiest kind of Facebook post to create. All you need to do is copy and paste a link into the status box.
Facebook automatically populates the meta description and photo. That means you get a great-looking post with very little effort.
Make sure to add some extra text to tell readers why they should click through. Then, you’re all set.
While most of your link posts should share your own content or link to your own products, you could also share content from other thought leaders in your industry.
Facebook poll post
We mentioned above that asking a question can help get your Facebook audience engaged. A Facebook poll takes this a step further. A poll offers fans the chance to vote for one of two options. Once voting is over, the results become public.
Facebook Stories
Facebook Stories are photo or short video posts that appear in vertical format and disappear after 24 hours. They live at the top of the News Feed. Photos appear for five seconds, and videos can be up to 20 seconds long.
More than half a billion people view Facebook Stories every day. When you’re thinking about how to use Facebook for business in 2020, Stories can offer a powerful way to connect with fans. And since Stories appear at the top of News Feed, they’re immune to the Facebook algorithm
Pinned post
A pinned post is simply a regular post that you “pin” to the top of your Facebook Page.
It’s always the first thing people see at the top of your Page.
What should you pin? Maybe you have one piece of content that soars above the rest. Something that really captures your brand and shows potential followers exactly why they should Like your Page.
You can also use this space to:
share important news
showcase an amazing video
raise awareness about a current campaign
Really, you can use it for anything that will get people to engage with your brand. And you can change your pinned post as often as you like.
You can tell a post is pinned when you see "PINNED POST" on the top left of the post.
How to choose the perfect type of post
So, how can you decipher exactly what types of posts to use?
One great way to learn what might resonate with your audience is to engage in social listening. This can help you learn:
What do existing customers love about your company or your products?
What challenges are people having that you know your product could help them address?
How can you differentiate yourself from the competition?
On September 11, 2020, Facebook enforced restrictions on third-party access to public pages. As a result, listening apps such as Hootesuite are no longer able to display attachments or comments in the Mentions stream.
You can start by posting content that’s performing well on other channels. Have you tweeted content that’s getting a great response? Share it on Facebook, too. Have a page on your blog that’s always getting new comments? That’s another Facebook post contender.
For the best results, be sure to share your content using the right strategies and best practices, rather than simply cross-posting.
Of course, if you really want to know what your audience wants to see, you can always ask them.
Conclusion
Facebook is an incredibly valuable platform for your business, so open a Facebook page to help improve its visibility and reach to potential customers. Using all the different types of posts will aid you in growing your customer reach. You just have to spend time to master the use of Facebook page for your own benefits or you can hire a Facebook page manager.
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That's all folks.
